UPI Kinsey Institute Article

Sept. 13, 1992

By Dr. June M. Reinisch, Ph.D.

Dear Dr. Reinisch: Since my wife always had an inclination towards
premature deliveries, she had to be specially treated during all of her
pregnancies. When she was pregnant with our second daughter she took
anti-miscarriage hormones. Our daughter is now 23-years-old. Several
months ago it became obvious to us that she was in a lesbian
relationship. She has revealed to us that she feels completely unable to
be attracted to men. We have to accept this -- she will, of course,
continue to be one of our beloved children. The question, however, I
have put to myself is: could the pre-natal treatment with anti-
miscarriage hormones have influenced the sexual behavior of our
daughter?

Dear Reader: Your question touches on the subject of an ongoing
research project at The Kinsey Institute; that is, if and how
medications and hormones given to women during pregnancy affect the
development of their offspring. Our Prenatal Development Projects have
been collecting and analyzing data regarding the physical, emotional and
intellectual characteristics of both exposed and comparable unexposed
individuals. Since the discovery of sex hormones, scientists have
theorized about their relationship to homosexuality. In 1953, Kinsey
argued that the use of testosterone as a treatment for male
homosexuality was ineffective and completely unjustified (because
although testosterone increases sex drive it has no effect on whether a
person is attracted to or falls in love with a male or female). Since
1971, scientists have compared the adult hormone levels of male
homosexuals and lesbian women to heterosexuals, and it is now known that
there are no differences. Recently, researchers have directed their
investigation of the effects of hormones on sexual orientation to the
prenatal period. This research is primarily based on the results of
animal studies, since true experiments using drugs or hormones cannot be
conducted with healthy pregnant women and fetuses. Studies with
laboratory animals have revealed that sex hormones do influence sexual
differentiation (masculinization or feminization) of parts of the brain
and behavior (both general and sexual). However, there are some problems
with simply applying findings about animal development and behavior to
humans. First, animal mating behavior and human sexual orientation are
not the same thing. Second, although male rats who experience
testosterone deficiency prenatally may display ``feminine'' sexual
behavior, female rats who are exposed to testosterone early in their
prenatal development do not necessarily express ``masculine'' sexual
behavior. Finally, when female animal subjects are given hormones which
predominate in males, they are born with masculinized genitals. In
humans, lesbian women have normal genitals appropriate to their gonadal
and genetic sex. In the past, women were often given progestins and/or
estrogens for treatment of high-risk pregnancy. The few available
studies indicate no increase in the rate of homosexuality in offspring
of women treated with progestins. With regard to estrogen, several
studies on the synthetic hormone diethylstilbestrol have been conducted.
Two studies found no differences in marriage rates when DES daughters
were compared to unexposed women. One study did find a slightly
increased number of DES women who had fantasized about or participated
in homosexual and bisexual behavior as compared to unexposed women. This
finding has not yet been repeated and so must be seen as very tentative.
Even if this finding is confirmed by further research it is important to
emphasize that the vast majority of the 30 prenatally DES-exposed women
were exclusively or nearly exclusively heterosexual. Finally, much more
research is needed to clearly reveal what role, if any, hormones (given
during gestation) may play in the development of sexual orientation. In
any case, it is important to remember that most homosexuals were not
exposed to hormone medications during gestation and most of the
individuals who have been exposed are heterosexual. I applaud your
continued love and acceptance of your daughter. And I want to emphasize
that it would be incorrect as well as pointless to feel responsible for
her sexual orientation. Finally, it is important to find out exactly
what your wife was prescribed when she was pregnant in order to be
informed about any possible long term effects of the medication. An
excellent resource for parents of lesbians and gay men is the national
support group Parents and Friends of Gays and Lesbians (Parents-FLAG, P.
O. Box 27605, Washington, DC 20038, 800-638-4200). I encourage you to
contact them for more information and support.

(Dr. Reinisch is director of the Kinsey Institute for Research in
Sex, Gender and Reproduction, Indiana University-Bloomington.)